Fake Wings
by Killua Rucilful
Summary: Kuro-Kyou friendship with slight TxL and KouxKao. Kuroudo's a boy who had family issues. He tries to escape reality by jumping into other realities but what if..? AU. inspired by .hackSIGN. A story of powerlust, revenge...and love in its many forms.
1. Default Chapter

  


_Shine bright morning light  
Now in the air the spring is coming  
Sweet blowing wind  
Singing down the hills and valleys_ - **Fake Wings   
  
  
|One|**

  
"Where's Dad?" I asked as mom set down the cereal bowl in front of me on the table. I picked it up and grabbed a spoon from the cupboard behind me, then walked to the kitchen counter and hoisted myself onto it. The bowl on my lap, I waited for her answer while I watched the cornflakes soak in the milk. I hate soggy cornflakes. I took a spoonful of the stuff and looked up at her. "Ma?"   
  
"He left for work around two hours ago, dear," she said. I shrugged and continued on the flakes. I should have known. Or maybe I _had_ known but asked anyway, if only to complete the morning exchanges between my mother and I. The question pops out of me every morning and the answer's always the same too, more or less.   
  
My father's a workaholic. It's seven in the morning so two hours ago meant the ungodly hour of five in the morning, or early dawn rather. He comes home late in the evenings, somewhere between ten and midnight, and whenever I manage to stay up for him would be the only times we actually see each other during the week. But he's too tired to do anything more than kiss me on the forehead or ruffle my hair at such chances mostly. I know he loves me very much but I often wish that he spends more time with me.   
  
"What are you going to do today, Kuroudo?" mother asked just as she does everyday before handing me date-nut bread. I took a bite of it and washed it down with orange juice.   
  
"I'll ask Kyousuke if I can come over but I'll probably stay in today," came my standard reply. I shrugged.   
  
Kyousuke Jin is my best friend and he lives right across the street from us. My other friends aren't as close to me as Kyousuke is and most of them are away on summer-camp anyway so I spend much time with Kyousuke on vacation. Kyousuke's father is a single working-parent so he's always left to watch over the house and while my own father can afford to send me to sleepaway camp, I'd rather he not. I'm polite and charming but not really that friendly. I won't stick out like a sore thumb but I won't be comfortable either.   
  
I finished my food and brought my plates, glass, and spoon over to the sink. Mom took them from me and placed them in the dishwasher, and then tilted my head up to face hers with an index finger beneath my chin. "We love you, Kuroudo. You know that, don't you?" she said.   
  
"Yes, Mother." I kissed her on the cheek and got out of the kitchen. I passed the dining room on my way to the hallway for the phone and glanced at the table-top. The glass was so clean. I couldn't remember the last time my parents and I ate together.   
  
I dialed Kyousuke's number and at the first ring realized it was seven in the morning. He was probably still asleep. To my surprise though, someone picked up at the third ring.   
  
"Moshi moshi," a voice I couldn't recognize answered in Japanese. It was neither Kyousuke nor his father.   
  
"Uh, hello? Is Kyousuke there please?" I asked.   
  
"Yeah, wait a sec," the voice said and then partly covered the mouthpiece. I heard a muffled shout and then someone coming down the stairs. Then the phone was passed.   
  
"Hello?" Kyousuke's voice came. He didn't sound like someone who just woke up. Good. I didn't want to be the one to disturb his sleep.   
  
"Hey Kyousuke, who was that?" I asked, not bothering to introduce myself since I knew he'd recognized my voice anyway.   
  
"Kouya. He slept over last night. Are you coming over?"   
  
Kouya is Kyousuke's other best friend. We're not really that close. He lives way across the other side of town so I can only imagine how he and Kyousuke met and keep up. It's very rare that they get to spend time with each other.   
  
"Nah." I didn't want to be a third leg. Also, I imagined I wouldn't know what to say even if I did come over. The first thing that entered my mind at the mention of Kouya's name was that he had a girlfriend who died a couple of years back. No, not died, more like _murdered_. Kyousuke also knew the girl and was equally devastated during that time. That was most of what little I knew of Kouya and I didn't want to slip and bring up any painful memories for either of them. "I'll see you tomorrow."   
  
"Okay. Bye, Kuroudo." He hung up and I did as well.   
  
This was going to be a looooong day.   
  
  
  
I did one more vertical slash with my kojiki and dropped it to my side altogether. It was stifling hot in the training room even with all the doors closed so it must be sometime around noon. I returned the wooden sword back to its place on the rack, grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat of my brow. Mom had to leave for something so we ate lunch ealier and now I'm left with the whole house to myself.   
  
I took a detour through the kitchen and grabbed some Gatorade from the fridge. Then I made a beeline for my bedroom upstairs. I didn't know why, but I gained a sudden interest to play computer games. And I had a lot of them too, though I still considered myself an amateur gamer.   
  
After about half an hour of Tekken and two of Final Fantasy X-2, however, I was as bored as ever. Returning the discs to my stash, I switched off my PS2 and turned my attention to my computer instead. As I trailed my index finger down the stack of CDs, I wondered if there was any game here that I haven't played already. The chances were slim. But then I stopped and pulled out one of the cases.   
  
The World?   
  
It was a popular online game here in America, but I never got around to buying a copy of it. So where did this come from? But then I remembered. It was Kyousuke's gift to me on my thirteenth birthday three years ago.   
  
Kyousuke is near to obssessed with the game and wanted me to get hooked too so he'd have some company in the game. Unfortunately, our internet service was broken that week and when it did get fixed, I guess the game just slipped out of my mind. And Kyousuke never reminded me of it, I suppose he got into a party soon enough. Unlike me, Kyousuke is a hardcore gamer, and a genius at that.   
  
I looked down at the CD case and considered playing it...   
  
Hey, why not? It's just a game, right?   
  
  
**Author's Notes**:   
  
**_Kil_** - okay, so here's the first chapter, I hope you like it! Feedback I get on this first CGT story would determine whether I should write more for this section. Though I guess I'll be writing more even if I get flames...This is the basic CGT turned .hack//SIGN plot. Left in my list currently are _Vampire Hunter D/Blade_, _Final Fantasy VIII_ and, of course, _Harry Potter_! Oh yeah, thanks much to Hareta for co-writing this with me!   
  
**_Hareta/Jirou_** - *rolls her eyes* introducing the Prince of Cliché plots! Okay, so maybe that's a bit _too_ harsh. Sorry...anyways, _useful_ author's notes, if you will:   
  
1) This is an AU fic. No crushgear, no dead brothers, quarrels over microchips, dislocated shoulders, etc. Although we'll still include a lot of things from the anime.  
2) Kuroudo is sixteen, so is Kyousuke, while Kouya's a year younger. The ages of the characters in The World won't really matter much.  
3) They live in America.  
4) _Kuroudo_ is the person IRL, his character in The World is _Jean_.  
5) We're just making up the stuff about Kuroudo's family situation! *shrug* This _is_ an AU fic anyways...  
  
Okay, whatever part I write in this fic (and that's mixed in with what kil writes) I dedicate to my friend, **Kazie Solo** aka Kuroudo Marume, AU Princess of CGT Fanfiction. I'm sorry about the delay of the Glühen fic, I'll have it up after this. Or rather, _we_. Kil's a big fan of Weiß and promised to co-write it with me since I'm doing this with him. Anyways, it shouldn't take too long, especially since he insists to have two chapters per installment with each chapter three or so pages long.   
  
  


_If you are near to the dark  
I will tell you about the sun  
You are here no escape  
From my visions of the world  
You will cry all alone  
But it does not mean a thing to me_ - **Aura   
  
  
|Two|**

  
Username: Kuroudo  
Password: ******   
  
I've always considered games as an escape from reality.   
  
While in a game I often forget myself, my problems included. I remember the time my parents almost broke up around five or six years ago, I rarely moved from in front of the PC or PS, much less left my room. Kyousuke was around most of the time and brought me new CDs every other day. I was so caught up in playing that I finished a single game in a day and a half. Eventually the divorce issue passed and I dropped gaming altogether, but once in awhile problems I can't face would still come and I'll find myself locked up in my room and holding the controls again.   
  
I've always considered games as an escape from reality.   
  
But this game was way too real.   
  
I looked down at my hands and marveled at the sight of a pair that moved with such smoothness as if they weren't simply generated. I could feel the VR gloves I wore but with my visor on I could only see a set of limbs a bit darker than my own. A bit? That would have to be the understatement of the century. My character's complexion is nowhere near my own. While I have pale white skin out of my European heritage, Jean, that's the name I chose for myself in The World, has dark, almost perfectly tanned skin. And that's not where the differences end. I switched from first person to third person view.   
  
I got my light blonde hair from my mother. It's short, but not as short as hers. We've got the same Mediterranean blue eyes too. Characters are not born, they're made, so in the game I have neither a mother nor inherited looks. I, on the other hand, have long dark brown hair that reaches halfway down to my waist, with green tips and red highlights along its length. After weighing the pros and cons I decided it's better off tied into a single braid, no matter how beautiful it may be. To contrast with my azures IRL I picked dark greens from the color palette. You could say I'm a dark character, that is, if I wasn't completely covered in white. What's up with white mages and white robes anyway?   
  
I've always considered games as an escape from reality. In a different world, I might as well _look_ and _be_ different.   
  
I switched back to first person view. The gates to the town appeared before me and I debated on whether I should go out or not. The town I was in right now, Port Town, a starting point for newbies like me, was incredibly empty for vacation. Although of course it _is_ the middle of the week, the middle of the day no less. I imagine players are out working right now IRL, but where are the kids?   
  
See, the thing about first person view is that you have limited vision. It's like seeing through your own eyes, you only see what's in front of you and your immediate right or left. You wouldn't be able to see if someone was to come from behind you, and since this is virtual reality, you wouldn't be able to feel them either. You could easily be caught off-guard. While with the third person view, you would be able to see your PC and its immediate surrounding. The chance of an ambush is less. However...   
  
Details are clearer in first person view and the game is much more satisfying this way, visual-wise that is. Within towns and other relatively safe locations I find it better to shift into this view to get most out of the game. Especially in a comparatively empty road like the one I am walking now, where I am free to walk and look about as I wish...   
  
H~ey! What happened to the gates?   
  
Snapping out of my thoughts and back to reality, I found red bricks right at my face. Had I walked right against a wall? But then, the images started to shift, and I could see the light blue sky coming from above the bricks...   
  
"Hey, are you okay?" a voice asked behind me.   
  
Did I say the road was empty? Forget it. I turned around as I finally managed to stand with the help of the owner of that voice, facing the people who bumped into me from behind and sent me sprawling into the red-brick road. There were two of them, the bigger, bulkier one with unruly brown hair while the smaller, lither one with neat, cropped...dark blue?...hair. They both wore impressive armor and jeweled gauntlets, and by their swords alone one would be able to tell that they were high-level players.   
  
"Hey, are you okay?" the same voiced asked again, it was the smaller of the two. I nodded my head and looked down at myself. As I expected, there wasn't a bit of dirt on my robes. After all, there were no dry-cleaners here within the game. I raised one eyebrow when I found the guy staring intently at my face when I looked up. He saw this, and smiled, shrugging. "I'm sorry. It's just your eyes...I've never seen such a pretty blue color before."   
  
My eyes? Pretty blue? Didn't I make them dark green? I must have chosen the wrong color during character build...but I can't see how I could have.   
  
A sudden movement from other swordsman brought both of my eyes, whatever color they may be, to him. Whatever he did however, I turned too late to see.   
  
"You're a newbie? White mage, right?" he asked and I slowly nodded my head. Even though he was far from handsome, he looked comely, but there was still something about him that rubbed me the wrong way...But then he broke into a friendly grin and my mind was wiped clean of all doubts. "My name's Jirou and this is my friend, Taki. We're one of the few older players who take newbies under their wings. What's your name?" He didn't even ask whether I _wanted_ to be taken under their wings or not. Not that I didn't. It was rare luck to get into a party this early in the game, a party of high-level PCs such as this much less.   
  
"Jean," I answered. I even _sounded_ like a newbie. I realized how pathetic I sounded and felt my cheeks burning with unwarranted embarrassment. It was a good thing such things wouldn't show up in my PC, otherwise I'd be gone from these people's company in two seconds flat. I raised my hand to shake theirs, trying to save what was left of my honour in The World by acting what I hoped was casual and placing ourselves on the same ground.   
  
Jirou laughed, "Newbie indeed," and took my hand. I felt my eyes widen as he did. There was my hand, grasped firmly in his, but I couldn't feel anything. I don't know if it's possible that my surprise should register in my PC's face, but it must be since Jirou saw it and his grin widened. "We don't shake hands in The World," he said.   
  
"It's just a game. Things might _look_ real but you won't feel them, you're not part of that reality. It's a good thing too, especially during battles," Taki elaborated and, with an abrupt change of topic, turned to Jirou, "Aren't we supposed to be looking for Mitsuke?"   
  
Jirou scratched the back of his neck with his right hand in what could be perceived as hesitance. "Yeah, I know, but since we got Jean here..." he trailed off.   
  
Taki shrugged. "Hey, it's not like we don't have other days to help Jean." I nodded my agreement but Jirou still won't give his consent. "Alright," Taki finally conceded after awhile, shrugging, "Let's go, Jean. We'll go get you some equipment and then head for a beginner's dungeon," he said it as if it was routine.   
  
  
Damn.   
  
I mentally cursed my luck. Why did I have to bump into that NPC trader and trigger a conversation? Furthermore, why did I have to hit '_Trade_' instead of '_Cancel_' and thus prolong my delay? By the time I pulled out of it, both Taki and Jirou were out of my sight, even in third person view. Just my luck.   
  
"Hey, watch it!" someone shouted as I stepped back on reflex. I looked up to find that I had collided with another PC nearly my height, with light brownish-gray hair and black clothing with a golden dragon emblazoned on the side. Another high-level character, obviously.   
  
"Sorry," I mumbled, turned, and started to make my way back to the gates. There was no way I was going to find those two now. I might as well explore a Lv 1 dungeon on my own. With any luck I might even come across a party of newbies who would let me join them.   
  
"Hold it," the one I bumped into said from behind me now and I guess he might have tried to stop me because I got no further towards the gates. I turned my head to the side and found a slender hand grasping my right shoulder. I marveled again how I could be grasped so yet not feel anything at all. "I said 'hold it'," the guy now hissed. I nodded my head and slowly turned around to face him, my dread growing. Whatever it was he wanted, I knew things weren't going to turn out good...for me, at least. "You're a white mage, right?" he asked.   
  
I wanted to answer 'like duh I am' but didn't. Instead I said, "Yes..." and trailed off. He raised his balled hand and that was the last thing I saw before I came hurtling to the ground, the images shifting almost too fast for my visor and my head that it was dizzying. I quickly switched to third person view, just in time to see a lightning bolt on its way to electrocute me and jump out of the way. "Hey, what's your problem?!" I shouted at the other player who had a jewel-tipped black staff pointed at me.   
  
He only answered with another lightning bolt. This one caught me and I quickly used some of my embarrassingly few Magic Points to heal myself. Taki was right. It _was_ a good thing that you couldn't feel anything in The World during a battle. Another lightning bolt. I blocked with my own staff but got my shoulder burned slightly. My Health Points were reduced to about 70% of its total. Why was he doing this? I didn't even know him! That's when it dawned on me...   
  
"You're a player killer?!" I almost shrieked out.   
  
He was casting another lightning bolt but stopped abruptly in the middle of it. He shook his head. "No," he said, "I'm not."   
  
"Then why are you doing this?"   
  
"Because, my dear white mage, black mages like me, and white mages like you, are natural enemies."  
  
  
**Author's Notes**:   
  
**_Kil_** - Second chapter! And the reason I insist on having 2 chapters per installment is that I think a single one doesn't have enough action in it, bo~ring! Especially chapter one! Anyhow, my turn on the _useful_ author's notes me guess.  
  
Although there really _is_ the game The World, neither of us have played it yet so we really don't know what it's like and just pooled basic RPG elements and our own fantasies to form a game. Here's some of the basic stuff _our_-The-World-game-wise:   
  
1) The World is a virtual reality multi-player online game. Think Ragnarok crossed with Final Fantasy-quality graphics.  
2) The _real_ The World have unfamiliar PC-types (i.e. Wavemaster), but we're going to use the familiar ones for convenience (i.e. white/black mage, swordsman, archer).  
3) Some useful terms:  
  
**IRL or In Real Life** - the 'real world' out of the game  
**Player or User** - the person himself IRL (i.e. Kuroudo)  
**Player Character or PC** - Character in the game controlled by Player IRL (i.e. Jean)  
**Non-Player Character or NPC** - Character in the game controlled by the system (i.e. creatures, shopkeepers)  
**Portals** - allows players to travel from one server or town to another. They can also be found at the end of dungeons and double as save-off points  
**Grunty** - pet/transportation of PCs. Think Chocobo.  
**Player Killer or PK** - players who kill other PCs just for the fun of it  
**Newbie** - new players  
  
-licks lips- Dedication, let's see. Since Hareta-san dedicated this to Kuroudo-sama and she's her fave writer, me guess I'll dedicate this to _my_ fave writer (one of them anyhow), **FiendisHSerapH**! You should check out **Final Penitence** if you haven't yet. I've only read up to _Behind Blue Eyes_ as of yet but I already love it! More power to you, FiendisHSerapH!   
  
**_Jirou_** - okay, there goes the second chapter. Anyone out there betting that a newbie white mage would make shortwork of an experienced black mage? Anyways, we all know Jean is Kuroudo, but who are Jirou, Taki, and Mitsuke IRL? More of our lovable characters to come and more guesswork for you to do! Btw, can anyone guess what's Kuroudo's password?^^ It's easy, come on! Well, ja!   
  
**Disclaimers**: We don't own CGT or any of the .hack series, anime or game. Not its soundtracks either, which includes '**Fake Wings**', where this fic's title and opening verses come from along with 'Aura' and 'The World'.  
  



	2. Three and Four

  


_can you hear the calling of the raving wind and water?  
we just keep dreaming of the land 'cross the river  
we are always on the way to find the place we belong  
wandering to no where, we're paddling  
down the raging sea_- **to nowhere   
  
  
|Three|**

  
"Because, my dear white mage, black mages like me, and white mages like you, are natural enemies."   
  
I stiffened as the black mage began to cast a spell that looked powerful enough to kill me after his statement. But maybe that would be better? I could just start all over again and make sure _not_ to pick white mage from the list of jobs there were. It was too dangerous. And I also just realized that white mages were rather slow, or maybe that was only because I was hampered down by these robes. Either way I had been playing for about three hours but whatever I had accomplished yet, if there was even any, would definitely be not much of a loss.   
  
But it never came. A large swordsman had walked from behind the mage and closed his hand on the handle of the staff right above the hands of the dark-eyed PC and gently pushed it down. "Still a supporter of that old stereotype, aren't you, Mitsuke?" the character asked in a voice so familiar that I quickly shifted back to first person view. I saw the person I expected to see.   
  
"Jirou!"   
  
The two were trapped in a gaze-lock but both pairs of eyes turned to me at my exclamation. The black mage, now identified as Mitsuke, tilted his head to one side. "You know this guy?" he asked Jirou as he looked me up and down like some dressmaker sizing me up and deciding what clothes would best fit me. It was rather unnerving, especially since he still managed to appear cool even as he did that. He turned sharply to the swordsman after some more of it and the apprehension was very evident in his voice. "Jirou, don't tell me he's---"   
  
Whatever it was he was hoping I wasn't I never found out as Jirou abruptly cut him off. I had the distinct feeling that he deliberately stopped Mitsuke from completing his sentence. "Right. Jean, this is Mitsuke, one of my party members. Mitsuke, this is Jean, a newbie I met awhile ago on my way here...Speaking of which, I met Takeshi at the gates. He already found out which dungeon our prey is in. If we're going boss-hunting, we've got to go now. Where's Yuyha?"   
  
I looked around, searching for Taki, but he was nowhere in sight. I was a bit puzzled by the way Jirou used the dark-haired PC's nickname, Taki, with me while he used his full name, Takeshi, with their own party members. It was normally the other way around. But judging by Mitsuke's elegant Chinese tunic, perhaps he was one for formalities? It must be a sad thing for him that PCs do not necessarily have to have surnames.   
  
Mitsuke was looking over at me intently but seemed to have immediately lost interest upon hearing Jirou's statement. "He must be looking for _you_, like I was. Takeshi, Yuyha and I went online around the same time. I _know_ about the boss, the three of us found it out together. We were going to tackle it on our own, but Yuyha said it won't be fair to you so here we are. Come on, we've got to find him," Mitsuke said, turned, and started to walk away without even so much as a wave at me. It was like he didn't even know me.   
  
Jirou, on the other hand, stayed for a bit longer. "Ah...er, sorry, Jean. I guess this can't be postponed. I'd take you, but you might get killed. We'll work on your levels some other time, okay? Here," he said and whipped out from thin air an ancient-looking piece of yellowed scroll that glowed with a faint blue light. The scroll floated towards me. "Take it. It's an entry to the contacts book, address book of a regular e-mail."   
  
I nodded my head and reached for the scroll. It rolled itself up as soon as I touched it and then disappeared. Hammerspace ruled this game, didn't it? I suppose that's one drawback, but then again, I'd rather have that than have a bag piled with my stuff to carry around and slow me down. "That's okay. Thanks, Jirou."   
  
He nodded his head and went after Mitsuke. I sighed. So this is how my first session in The World ends. I made my way back to the gates, which also served as a portal, saved my game and signed off.   
  
  
I took off the visor and VR gloves then shut down the computer. The bed looked inviting when my eyes fell on it as I pushed my chair back, but there were some things I had to do before a rest. First, I stepped out into the corridor and yelled down the stairs for my mother. No answer came. So then she was still not home. I re-entered my room and fell down on the bed, grabbing the phone off its hook from my bedside table.   
  
First...Second...Third...if Kyousuke doesn't pick up by the seventh ring, it's either he's out or he's playing, with Kouya probably...seventh. I hung up. It's four in the afternoon but I need some sleep. That game is...strangely exhausting...   
  
  
"Takeshi, finish it!"   
  
The sound of an arrow flying through the air and cracking something was soon followed by a mighty sword swing which ended in the dull sound of metal meeting skin. The creature gave one last piercing, awful cry before dying and dematerializing right before their eyes. It was replaced by heaps of gold, some rare items and a few weapons here and there (which were useless to them). Yuyha was glad that the battle was over. It wasn't because it was a hard one --- no, it was really an easy win, although rather drawn-out --- It was that he couldn't take to look at the monster they had been battling anymore. It was, to put it simply, _hideous_. He had never seen such an ugly thing. Definitely reptilian, it was a cross between a devilfish and a large crocodile, with the markings and strength of a small dragon. It was probably considered as boss more because of its terrifying looks --- in the case of experienced players like him, _sickening_ --- than of its power. Other players probably froze on the spot with one look at it, able to do nothing but await their deaths.   
  
Now that it was gone, his arrow was left on the ground unbroken, but he didn't bother to retrieve it for another use as he normally would have.   
  
Takeshi and Jirou were sheathing their swords. Mitsuke was already bent over the treasure, calculating their shares as it was usually his job. Yuyha strapped his bow to his back and picked up a gold coin from the pile beneath their feet. He tossed it into the air, humming a little tune to himself. Comfortable silence filled the cavern their company were in. To keep himself busy, Yuyha began to search for a portal. One was usually to be found at the end of a dungeon and he supposed this was the end because they had already fought the boss and there was no way out of the room except the way they came.   
  
"I've got to go!" Jirou suddenly exclaimed and all heads turned to him. His dark chocolate brown eyes met Yuyha's slightly lighter ones. "Your sister is making me get off," he said.   
  
Takeshi looked up. "Hey, what about---"   
  
"Bye!" Jirou bellowed as blue light started to swirl up from his feet which were both on a platform about half a feet from the ground, the portal. It engulfed him and with a bright flash, he was gone.   
  
"I sure hope he remembered to save this time!" Takeshi mumbled under his breath but the statement was still loud enough for his two remaining companions to hear. Yuyha nodded his head in agreement. Mitsuke, however, seemed to be lost in his own world.   
  
"Mitsuke?" Yuyha said, knowing better than to try and shake his friend back, that was as futile as pushing a cement wall in attempts to make it move. Eventually, the eyes of his friend turned to him in askance. "Are you okay?"   
  
"Y-yes. I'm perfectly fine," Mitsuke answered and then shook his head as if to clear it. "I was just---just thinking. Yuyha, I think I know who the next target would be," he said and then proceeded to tell the two what happened earlier the day. "I'm quite sure. When I was battling him, I saw fear in his eyes, mixed with a look of determination and stubbornness."   
  
"Jean?" Takeshi repeated the name from his friend's explanation with a frown. "How are we supposed to know if we've seen him yet?"   
  
"His eyes are dark green and he has long dark brown hair with red splashes and green tips. It's tied into a braid. I suppose that's distinction enough. I haven't seen anyone here yet that looked even remotely like him, another reason why I think he's the next target. Although I might be wrong. The programmers must have made new templates and---"   
  
"Alright, Mitsuke, that's enough," Yuyha interrupted with a smile. Mitsuke was a fanatic of anything mechanical and technical. Although he enjoys the game like any other player, he knows enough of The World that one could easily mistake him as one of its creators. Yuyha left those thoughts behind and his voice got more serious. "The three of us will keep an extra eye out for this Jean. It's unfortunate Jirou already beat us to him but...anyway, we can't afford anymore slips. We've got to make it this time."   
  
The two simply shared a look and nodded their heads.  
  
  
**Author's Notes**:   
  
**_Kil_** - Third chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Poor Jean confused Takeshi with Taki, lol. Anyhow, what are the Three Musketeers up to? And who are the -real- bad guys, them or Jirou and Taki?   
  
**_Jirou_** - And our conflict begins though it's not that obvious as of yet....   
  
  


_Searching for eternity, you are a frivolous dreamer  
Clinging to unreliable dreams. Where are you going?_ - **Yasashii yoake  
  
  
|FOUR|**

  
I buried my head deeper into the pillows. Someone was incessantly shaking me awake and saying my name. I groaned out a protest, rolled to lie on my stomach and placed a pillow over my head and ears. The person ripped it ruthlessly from my gasp and threw it at the foot of the bed. His hands pressed on my sides, trying to roll me back into a position that would simplify his task of waking me up. My eyes snapped open. I had already rolled far towards one side of the bed. Just a few more and---hey, wait---   
  
"Ow!" I cried out as I fell down hard on the wooden floor, landing on the funny bone in my left elbow that sent tingling sensations up and down my arm. I winced.   
  
"Uh...sorry?" Kyousuke didn't sound all that sincere. I grabbed the pillow he had discarded earlier onto the floor and slowly stood up, then threw it at his face. It knocked his glasses askew, dropped to his chest and then to the floor, and he stood there with a surprised look on his face. But shock from the unexpected move quickly wore off and he frowned, fixing his glasses.   
  
"That's for the not-so-pleasant wake up. Help me fix my bed, will you?"   
  
"Why? You're going back to sleep in an hour or two anyway," he answered but picked up the pillow around his feet nonetheless and returned it to its place among the others. I smoothed down the bedspread where they were crumpled and replaced the thin comforter over everything. By the time I was done, Kyousuke was already by the doorway.   
  
"Why are you here anyway?" I asked as I joined him in the dark hall and turned on the lights. How he had always managed to reach my room in the pitch black without any accidents I would never know.   
  
"Your mother called here but you were sleeping so you didn't answer so she called at my house instead. She told me to tell you that she would be late and to join you for dinner. I--er--invited Kouya along. His father won't be picking him up in another hour. I hope you don't mind."   
  
I shrugged, "That's okay," but was a tad bit nervous. For all the talk Kyousuke had made of him, I had never really seen Kouya in person. On the way, I wondered what he was like. Probably quiet, if not grim. Yeah, silent, like Kyousuke and me. With a fixed serious expression, as if he's always in deep thought, dark hair and eyes...by the time we made our way down the stairs and into the kitchen, I had completed a couple of mental images of him. Oddly enough, they looked like a more serious-looking Taki and a darker-haired Mitsuke.   
  
Neither of which was Kouya like _at all_.   
  
He sat on top of the kitchen counter and it surprised me a little because I only did that in the presence of my mother or Kyousuke, who both claim that it's childish. Although Kyousuke never does eat at the dinner table, he doesn't get up next to me either, preferring to stand leaning against the counter instead. As soon as our eyes met, Kouya leapt down from the counter cheerfully, like a child, and rushed towards us. He had brown hair and shining brown eyes, a grin breaking into his face as we shook hands. He was nearly the same height as Kyousuke, and therefore only came up to my shoulder. It was obvious that Kyousuke had talked a lot about me to him as he had of Kouya to me, because introductions didn't seem to be necessary.   
  
"So, what are we eating, Kuroudo?" Kyousuke asked, already getting out plates and utensils. I wasn't expecting mother to come home late and she hadn't left me anything. It was odd really, I wondered what must had come up suddenly.   
  
"We had bouillabaisse earlier. I think there's still some left," I said and felt my stomach growling. I hadn't eaten anything since our early lunch.   
  
"What's a bouillabaisse?" Kouya asked with interest, stumbling over the foreign word.   
  
"French shellfish stew," Kyousuke answered for me, already walking towards the fridge. He opened the door and searched inside for something. "And I don't think you'll like it, Kouya, though maybe you will since you're obssessed with crabs...ah, here we go." Kyousuke emerged from the fridge carrying a couple of boxes. I knew it. Frozen pizza. I grinned.   
  
"Heat it up, Kyousuke. Do you want to eat here or in the living room?"   
  
He grinned back. "Couch."   
  
  
"Kuroudo...Kuroudo? Honey, wake up."   
  
Someone was shaking me awake again. I groaned before opening my eyes and sitting up. Mom was kneeling next to me and --- where were we? I looked around while rubbing sleep from my eyes. The living room, I must have fallen asleep sometime after Kouya's father came to pick him up. Where was Kyousuke?   
  
"Where's Kyousuke?" I asked.   
  
"At home, asleep. He locked you in here and I got the keys from his father. What are you doing here in the living room?"   
  
"Waiting for Dad and you. What time is it?" I asked, yawning. Mom stroked my hair and it didn't help to wake me up.   
  
"Some time around one," she answered, standing and pulling me up. I shook my head.   
  
"Where's Dad?"   
  
"Kuroudo, your dad---" she stopped and let go of my hand. "Your dad's not coming home tonight."   
  
My eyes snapped open at that. "Mom?"   
  
"W-We had a fight, Kuroudo, and---"   
  
"No!" I exclaimed and got out of the couch. I was at the top of the stairs before she even realized it. Dad never slept out unless it was really serious. The last time he had was before they announced to me that they were going to get divorced. "Mom, you can't do this to me again!" I shouted down and sped for my room. I locked myself in and threw myself at the bed.   
  
How could they?   
  
  
**Author's Notes**:   
  
**_Kil_** - Fourth chapter! Btw, I made a mistake in Ch. 2. Kuroudo's username is supposed to be _Jean_. Fixed it. I almost made the same mistake in this chapter with Madame Marume calling her son Jean. It just sounds more dramatic, don't you think?   
  
**_Jirou_** - And the fourth. I don't really know what bouillabaisse is, I just ripped it off Harry Potter. XD Btw, Kazie Solo got it (go, Kazie!), Kuroudo's password into the world is _Mirage_. Sorry, couldn't help it. I _love_ that gear!   
  
**Disclaimers**: We don't own CGT or any of the .hack series, anime or game. Not its soundtracks either, which includes 'Fake Wings', where this fic's title and opening verses come from along with 'to nowhere' and 'Yasashii yoake (Early Dawn)'.  
  



	3. Five and Six

  


_Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile  
Tell me of a story never ever told in the past_- **Key of the Twilight   
  
Five**

  
Username: Jean  
Password:   
  
I noticed the server loaded faster tonight...or this morning, rather. Of course it made sense that not many players would be online at such an hour. It was daylight again in the game. I recognized the same town gates I signed off from and began to walk the streets. There was no sign of Jirou, Taki or Mitsuke. Not that I expected any.   
  
"Jean?"   
  
I turned around slowly at the hesitant call from a voice I didn't know. A few steps behind me was a brunette in dark green and brown clothes and holding a bow in front of him. An archer, obviously. I wondered if he was pertaining to _me_ or somebody else but then his eyes locked on mine and I was sure. I don't know what made me do it, but I started to walk towards him even though I didn't know him. He walked to me too, although in a much faster pace.   
  
"Jean, right?" he asked. I nodded my head then cocked it to one side.   
  
"How'd you..?" I asked.   
  
"Mitsuke told me about you," he answered, "Nice to meet you. My name's Yuyha."   
  
Yuyha...Yuyha...Jirou said he and Mitsuke would be looking for a Yuyha. I nodded my head again. "Oh yeah. You, Mitsuke, Jirou and Taki form a party, right?"   
  
He shifted the bow to his other hand. "Taki? Maybe you mean Takeshi," he said, shrugging. I shrugged back. The two of us were walking towards the outskirts of town. "So what are you doing up so late? It's around one or so in America, isn't it?" he asked.   
  
"How can you be sure I'm from America?" I asked back curiously. As I have said, The World is an online game and people from many countries play it, of all races. That's why there was always more than ten thousand players online at the same time at any time of the day or night.   
  
"I'm not wrong, am I?" I shook my head. "Your voice. I've been playing for such a long time that I've come to recognize most accents." I nodded my head though it was rather hard for me to understand what he meant. But then again, if you listened to his intently, you'll realize it was identifiable Japanese. I told him so and he nodded his head.   
  
"Why do you play?" I blurted out suddenly. He turned to look at me as if asking a reason for the question. "I mean, since, like you said, you've been around for awhile...."   
  
"It's my job," he answered, shrugging. His job? I stared back at him. He must have caught it because he said, "I have a mission here..." If I wasn't so taken aback by his weird answers, I was sure I heard him add, "...one that would involve you." Perhaps not though, the next second I found him tossing the question back at me.   
  
"I..." I started to answer but trailed off with the look he was giving me. His PC's face was unreadable, of course, but his eyes were on me the whole time, as if waiting for an answer. I sure hoped I wasn't in any kind of trouble. I decided to go for the truth. "It's an escape from reality. Game-worlds are far better to live in. I just want to quit real life for awhile and live elsewhere, be someone else."   
  
"Hey, we're here," he announced and I looked up. He didn't seem to have heard my answer. Wooden gates towered in front of us but they weren't the ones I was familiar of.   
  
"Where are we going?" I asked as he started to push it open.   
  
He shrugged. "Wherever you want to go, Jean."   
  
"...I just want to quit real life for awhile and live elsewhere, be someone else."   
  
He rolled onto his back in the bed, slightly regretful that he had not come online and met this Jean player himself. Especially since sleep hadn't visited him the whole night. All in due time though. The two of them would meet, eventually. He listened intently as the person on the other end of the line decribed the time he spent with the brown-haired player, glossing over things that meant little to either of them and elaborating on the ones that were of interest.   
  
"He plays with such a passion I've only seen once before..." At this point, the voice sounded hesitant but then continued, "...in Lilika. And when we came to the end of the dungeon, his eyes were light blue. I am certain they were dark green when we met. And also, the blue was...different, one that you wouldn't be able to find in the colour palette --- I checked." The last part was added hastily and reassuredly. Not one member of their party had blue eyes so none of them ever really looked into the shades for blue before.   
  
"I guess he really _is_ the next target then," he answered after awhile, still digesting the information. It was too much for him to handle, this was Mitsuke's forte and not his. He was only good in fighting unlike the other two, although his will to complete their mission might rival even that of Yuyha's who had been on it for years before they joined him. "What do you plan to do, Yuyha?"   
  
"I don't know. For now, let's just keep an eye out for him. He seems to trust our party. Tell Mitsuke everything I've told you for me. I have to go somewhere tomorrow. Will you be online?"   
  
"You mean today. Maybe not. But I'm sure Mitsuke will be. How about Jirou?"   
  
"No, he won't be. Don't worry about him. I'm going to my sister's, they'd be running some tests."   
  
"I see. Be careful, Yuyha."   
  
"Of course. Good day, Takeshi."   
  
"Are you sure about this? It might just have been a glitch..."   
  
"Of course I'm sure. I saw his eyes, you saw them too. And when he was fighting Mitsuke, it happened again. Plus, he moves with such ease. And you saw him, he doesn't look like any other character in The World, does he?...What's wrong? Don't you trust me, anymore?"   
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I trust you of course, but I'm not so keen on the idea of travelling to some god-forsaken place again only to find out we're mistaken when I get there."   
  
"We're not. Yuyha and his group are already onto his case."   
  
"Oh shit...We're late then?"   
  
"Nah, I don't think so. He's their key. They wouldn't dare frighten him off by telling him while he's still not ready. And, anyway, I'll take care of them so don't worry about them, worry about Jean."   
  
"Jean...that brown-braid is in trouble without knowing it."   
  
"Actually, I think he's a blonde IRL."   
  
"A blonde?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"So you got his address already? Profile? The works?"   
  
"What did you expect? Of course! I'll e-mail them to you. You know what to do, don't you?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Oh, and one more thing. This time I want to repeat...They're making me get off. Yuyha's sister is going to run tests today. I'll tell you the details later on."   
  
"I see. Be careful, Jirou."   
  
"Of course. Good day, Taki."   
  
**Author's Notes**:   
  
**_Kil_** - Sorry for the delay! Here's the fifth chapter...and the sixth. Btw, CGT fic readers/writers, please join Jirou's CGT Fanfiction Fanlisting! you are lost in your way  
deep in an awesome story  
don't be in doubt and stray  
cling to your lonesome folly - **a stray child  
  
Six**   
  
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I instinctively answered it without even opening my eyes. Only a few people know my private number, my closest friends, and though the most talkative of them, Kazuya, calls me most often, I knew who was on the other end and it wasn't him.   
  
"I've been calling for ages, Kuroudo! Where were you?" Kyousuke. He was the only one with no awareness of time to call me so early in the morning.   
  
"Right here, in my bed. You woke me up," I answered, trying not to sound grumpy and failing miserably. My voice was groggy and a bit whiny. I winced and sat up on bed.   
  
"Woke you up?" he echoed in disbelief. There were some strange noises on the other end. "It's already eleven! You've slept twelve and a half hours straight!"   
  
"Not so loud, Kyousuke!" I said into the phone, my head already starting to ache. I had no plans, however, to tell him that I just resumed sleep four hours ago. Still though...four hours ago? I had a couple of hours of sleep on the couch before playing The World. Perhaps I _did_ oversleep."And yeah? So what..."   
  
There was silence on his part and then. "What's wrong?"   
  
I wasn't _that_ obvious, was I? "Dad slept out last night."   
  
"I'm coming over." He hung up.  
  
I changed out of the clothes I've been wearing since yesterday into fresh ones. Glancing at my now inactive computer, I went out of the room and walked down the hallway. On my way down the stairs, I thought about my recent adventures in what I now call _my other world_.   
  
It had been fun, really. Yuyha was a good teacher, seemed a bit knowledgeable about white mages, perhaps he had been one before? Or maybe, as he said, it's because he has been along for some time. I wondered how old he was. Probably not that old. The World had many legends, he told me some while we explored the ruins, but it wasn't that old. The game was around seven years or so in existence. But it was so real, I could believe the half-century old monsters we've battled were born and not created, growing inside and along with The World.   
  
By the time we reached the end of the dungeon, I managed to raise my level to eight. Yuyha only raised his level by one, he said we've been in a beginner's dungeon, but I had the worst times, and at the same time feeling the best, in battling my way through it. The archer was the strongest in their party, at level 39, but the other three weren't that far behind. He said that Jirou and Mitsuke played the most among them, though the black mage preferred to hang around with Takeshi, a swordsman. They've been together before their party was made. He said I'll get to meet Takeshi soon enough.   
  
By then I've realized that Takeshi and Taki weren't the same people. I wondered why Taki wasn't in their party since he seemed to be good friends with Jirou. Yuyha talked as if he didn't know about Taki at all and I never inserted him into our conversation since there really was no point to it.   
  
I entered the kitchen and turned on the lights. It wasn't that dark but it was exceptionally dim for eleven in the morning. I looked out the window to see dark clouds and the sun shifting in and out of view from behind them. Great. The perfect clincher to my already breaking life -- rain.   
  
Mother was already out, that much I could sense from the stillness of the house. On the table were some toast, some ham, and a note. I picked it up and read it as I took a carton of orange juice from out of the fridge. It was from her, a rephrase of her note five years ago. She said the same things, that she was sorry, that she'll try to work it out with Dad and that she loved me. I'll never forget it.   
  
I pulled myself up onto the counter and mulled things over as I ate my very late breakfast, starting to feel a little guilty. Perhaps I shouldn't have reacted the way I had last night. Mother surely didn't deserve it. I'll have to apologize to her when she returns.   
  
I finished the rest of my food and looked out through the window and into the streets. What was taking Kyousuke so long? Leaving the plates in the sink so I could wash them along with the ones I'll be using for lunch -- that is, if I'll have lunch -- I walked out into the hallway and used the phone to call his private line. It was busy. I called their house phone which had call-waiting but no one was picking up.   
  
Wonder what came up?   
  
I found the house too silent for my sanity and decided to get out. I wrote a note to Kyousuke -- or my mom if she gets home earlier than me which is unlikely -- explaining that I would be going to the playground. I'll only be out for three hours tops. I called his house again, both phones, before leaving but the result was the same. Grabbing my jacket from where it hung near the door, I slipped in a spare set of house keys into one of its pockets and stepped outside, posting the note on the door.   
  
"Damn you, father. You didn't tell me it would be _this_ cold here."   
  
It had been raining since noon. A young girl sat under a waiting shed, hugging herself in a blind attempt at getting warm. Her skin was pale and a blue color was on her lips. She wore decidedly thin clothes, plain shirt and pants clinging to her body with cold dampness. On her lap was a beaten-up leather case wrapped in an old jacket and a small suitcase was by her feet, almost within reach of mud. She was waiting for someone, but that someone did not she was waiting for her.   
  
A car pulled up and a fairly handsome young man opened the windows and waved her over. She shook her head 'no'. The man shrugged as if to say 'your loss', closed the window and continued on his merry way. She glared at the back of the car as it sped off. To think that he thought she was a pick-up girl! Outrageous!   
  
She was still fuming when another car pulled up and instead one of the windows, a door opened. All trace of anger left her as soon as she saw who was sitting inside the car, the one person she had been waiting for all along. Beautiful pale face, short blonde hair, kind blue eyes...   
  
Madame Francine Marume.   
  
"Dear, get in. I'll drop you off," she said, shaking her head a little at state of the young girl's clothes and the yung girl herself. "Where do you live?"   
  
She shook her head again. "I don't have anywhere you can drop me off," she whispered, eyes lowering to the ground in shame. She felt the French woman's eyes on her before hearing a soft sigh.   
  
"Well then, get in still," she said and then, almost to herself, "I'm sure Kuroudo would like some others' company with what we're going through..."   
  
**Author's Notes**:   
  
**_Kil_** - Here's the sixth chapter. You'll know who the girl is in the eight, I think. More action among the mages in The World in the next!   
  
**Disclaimers**: We don't own CGT or any of the .hack series, anime or game. Not its soundtracks either, which includes 'Fake Wings', where this fic's title and opening verses come from along with 'Key of the Twilight' and 'a stray child'.  
  



End file.
